Costs of the Job
by Mrs.JohnReese
Summary: Growing up in the Reagan household, Frank's youngest daughter Erika knew what it meant to be a part of a family of cops. She knew what it meant to bleed NYPD blue. And she knew what such a trait could cost. What she doesn't know, however, is how much joy such a thing can give her. But all joy comes with equal shares of heartache...(Eventual Vinny/OC). Pls R&R :)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there! This probably looks pretty familiar, as I just posted yesterday…but I was having some difficulties with the site (deleting random words from my story synopsis) so I figured I'd take it down and give it another go today. Hopefully y'all can bear with me? **

**MJR**

…

_(Spring 2000)_

"For God's sake, sis; would ya hurry up?"

"Daniel Reagan, don't you dare use the Lord's name in vain…"

"Okay, Ma, but she's taking _forever_!"

"She's a girl, Danny; she's supposed to take forever in the mornings."

"Shut up Jamie."

"Boys…leave your sister alone and get in the car."

"But she's not even ready yet!"

"Daniel…"

"Okay, okay, Dad…I'm goin'!"

Muted footsteps echoed up the hall towards the bathroom on the upper floor of the Reagan home; a knock serving as the only warning to the thirteen year girl old inside who was diligently attempting to curl her hair, before her father poked his head in and did his best to mask a smile as he said:

"Bus is leaving, little lady. Best get your shoes on and head downstairs."

"But Daddy" The teenager protested; gesturing in aggravation at the limp brown curl that hung over the side of her face "I wanted to look pretty for today's mass."

Swinging the door open so that he could get a better look at his youngest daughter, Frank Reagan made a great show of appraising her appearance; her determined pout doing its best to make him laugh out loud as he scanned her meticulously. Arms crossed, he made several grunts and 'hmm's; before stepping back and addressing her concern verbally.

"You look gorgeous already, sweet-pea. Come on now. Your mother and siblings are waiting in the car."

"When mass is done, can we go to the park for supper?"

Looking down at his daughter as she peered up at him; her blazing blue eyes drilling right through him, Frank finally allowed laughter to escape, marveling at how easily she wound him around her fingers even now; despite her age. Shaking his head, he dropped a hand to her shoulder; before leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"Provided you and Danny can keep to yourselves; I'd say the answer is a yes."

Whooping in delight, Erika Reagan leapt up to give her father a tight hug; squeezing him to her for a moment before detaching herself and racing to her room to grab her purse. It wasn't long before the Police Commissioner had his entire family securely buckled into the family car…and he drove off towards the church; mindful of how grateful he was that God had brought such amazing gifts into his life. It truly was a miracle, this life he was living.

And he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

…

_(Twelve years later)_

"You need somethin' sweetheart?"

Jumping in spite of herself, twenty-five year old Erika Reagan forced her attention to return back to the present; her eyes landing on the familiar face of her brother Jamie's partner as she finally answered.

"Renzulli? I thought you were on a tour with Jamie! I was just…going to ask when the two of you would be due back; since he and I have a lunch date."

"Oh, ah…he may not be back for a while, sweetie" Her brother's partner replied; gesturing for her to take a seat in a chair by the window of the precinct as he explained "He and his new partner are getting ready to leave for a call."

"New partner?" Erika questioned, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she sat and turned to face Renzulli "When did that happen?"

"Just this mornin'" He said, the look on his face showing that he wasn't entirely thrilled with this latest turn of events "And I think he might have a bit of a hard time on his hands, your brother."

"Why is that?"

"Officer Renzulli is convinced that I'm a bit of a bad egg" A voice spoke up from somewhere off to the left; causing both Erika and Jamie's old partner to jump as a dark-haired man in uniform approached the two, with Jamie following closely behind "Though if _you're_ coming along I may just be persuaded to behave myself."

Raising an eyebrow, Erika stood to greet the stranger; holding her hand out to shake his, and only barely hiding a huff of surprise when the officer instead brought her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss against her knuckles.

"Vinny Cruz, at your service" He said, leveling a blinding smile that was clearly intended to charm women city-wide Erika's way; and maintaining his grip on her hand despite dropping it down to a more comfortable level "You must be the youngest Reagan."

"How on earth did you guess?" She quipped, her tone cool; but not altogether rude. The officer's cocky demeanor wasn't exactly impressive to her; despite his outward attempts at being gentlemanly…but before he could say anything further, Jamie was speaking up and coming to her aid.

"Save it for the hookers on the street, Cruz" He said, placing a firm hand on his new partner's shoulder as he began trying to steer the man towards the exit of the precinct; pausing just a moment to address his sister "Can we push our date to dinner, sis? I'm a bit…tied up."

"Of course" Erika replied, smiling at her favorite brother before she adjusted the strap of her purse on her arm "Call me when you're free."

"Can I call you when _I'm _free?" Cruz called out, despite being crab-walked towards the door by his partner. The act earned him a shove from Jamie before the two men disappeared from view…and Renzulli laughed once, before turning to face Erika as he said:

"C'mon sweetheart. I'll walk ya to your car."

Following her brother's former partner towards the back of the precinct, Erika allowed him to take her arm; only half listening as he rambled on about "young upstarts on the force", her mind far too distracted by this sudden and unexpected change. It really shouldn't have surprised her too much…having a family of cops certainly prepared you for last minute shuffling and reorganization. But still…

There was something about her brother's new partner that she couldn't quite figure out. And Erika Reagan was not one for letting such things just…slip by.

…

**Hello everyone! Welcome to my first fanfiction for this fandom! I've been watching Blue Bloods since the beginning, and I must say I absolutely adore it! Each one of the characters has grown on me and I can honestly say I love every one of them! So that being said, here's my little stab at an adventure in the Reagan's world. As you can see, I've created an extra Reagan…I don't know, there's just something in me that would have loved to see Jamie and Danny with a younger sister, you know? Erin too. So that's what I'm going to try and show here. Their story, with her added in. Not so that she can take over the main plot line…but to add an extra dynamic to the family, so to speak. **

**Just as a warning, I may be tempted to go sort of AU once we get to a certain episode where a certain officer gets *gulp*…shot. That episode literally tore me apart. So here's my attempt at skirting around it, while still not totally destroying canon (hehe). I'm sure you may have already figured out what I'm doing here…but please bear with me? I'll try my very best to make it worth your while!**

**Lastly, I'd like to ask for your opinions in a review; if I may. To me those darn things are like bread and butter! And I'd absolutely love to hear what you think of the story so far. Love it? Hate it? Want to see something in particular? I'm open to any and all suggestions. Thank you ALL for taking the time to give this a shot. With any luck, I'll have another update out soonly!**

**Until next time…**

**MJR**


	2. Chapter 2

"So…how was day one with your new partner?"

Jamie snorted into the soda he was currently sipping through a straw; spluttering a bit as some of the fizzy liquid travelled down the wrong pipe, before he regained the ability to breathe. Rolling his eyes as he used a spare napkin to wipe up some of the mess he had just made; he shook his head once, leveling a hapless gaze at his sister before he answered.

"He's reckless. Arrogant. Far too eager to get distracted by the ladies…"

"Sounds like you love him already."

"Love's a bit of a strong word, don't you think?"

"I don't know, Jamie; seems to me like you've got it bad for the guy…"

"Oh hush."

Before Erika could tease her brother any further, however, the waitress that had taken their order had arrived once again, this time with their food; bringing conversation to a temporary halt as she placed their orders before them while she said:

"Here ya go, guys. Need anything else?"

"No, we're good, thanks" Jamie replied; smiling at the girl and ignoring how her cheeks flushed red in response before turning his attention back to his younger sister.

"I don't like him, sis" He said then, forking a French fry with perhaps a bit more vehemence than he had intended as he clarified "He's too…I dunno, too…unpredictable. A loose cannon."

"Well you could always ask for a new partner…or to get your old one back" Erika suggested, her brother's obvious frustration causing her to reach across the table to take his hand with her own "You know they'd probably let you."

"Nah, I can't do that" Jamie argued, squeezing Erika's hand appreciatively before letting go and moving to pick up his burger "You know as well as I do that it'd just be one more piece of evidence that the PC's sons get whatever they want."

"You don't know that, Jamie" Erika said, twirling her own fork through the spaghetti on her plate before she went on "You can't have been the only one to ever request a change like this; and get their way."

"That's not what _they'll _see, though" He countered, taking a bite of the burger in his hands and chewing thoughtfully for a moment, before elaborating "They'll just see it as a favor. A cop out."

Shrugging, Erika took a bite of her food, eyes narrowing as she took in the look of something else…something _more_ that was bothering her brother. The set of his jaw as he had spoken to her…the strange, stormy look in his blue eyes…all served to alert his younger sister to his troubles; despite his obvious desire to mask them. Their mother had always liked to call the two youngest Reagan siblings "her open books"…and right now, Jamie was just that. Just as he had always been. Swallowing slowly, Erika took a sip of her own drink; letting the cool liquid slide down her throat before she asked:

"So what else is there, Jamie?"

"What do you mean?"

"Something's still bothering you" She said, holding up a hand to stall her brother's impending protest as she pressed forward "I can see it in the way you keep looking everywhere but at me. What is it?"

Jamie sighed then, running a hand through his slightly disheveled hair before he risked a glance at his sister and said "He kept talking about _you_, sis. Bugged the hell outta me."

Shaking her head in amazement, Erika allowed a small snort of laughter to escape before she brought her eyes to meet those of her brother; smiling at him as she spoke.

"Is that all?"

"It's one thing for him to talk about some random Jane Doe on the street that way" Jamie cut in; his voice almost indignant as he speared another fry with his fork "But you…"

"I can take care of myself, Jamie. You don't need to worry about him charming my pants off or anything…"

"I know that, sis; but…I just don't want another repeat of…of last year, ya know?"

Frowning, Erika looked down at her plate; absently stabbing at a meatball as her brother's worries hit home. Around this time last year, she had inadvertently been dragged head-first into his undercover stint with the Sanfino crime family. A chance meeting with her brother at a coffee shop had turned into trying to hash together a new identity for herself as well once Noble Sanfino himself turned up to talk to "Jimmy"…and much to her father's, and Danny's chagrin, she found herself taking on the name "Sarah Riordan", an encounter that was supposed to end in a simple party turning into something much more as both siblings were thrown even deeper into the Sanfino world; with not much of a choice in the matter.

As "Sarah", she had gotten closer to the son of the mafia boss, and his own sister. And without ever really meaning to, she had fallen for the prince of the Sanfino clan. A matter that had not gone without its own set of consequences.

Shaking herself back into the present, Erika took note of Jamie's eyes on her; and she did her best to attempt a half-hearted smile as she tried to reassure him.

"Well it's not like Officer Cruz is connected to the mafia" She joked, not really expecting her brother to laugh as she went on "Besides, I've learned my lesson. Steer clear of smooth-talkers."

"A lesson you shouldn't have had to learn the way you did."

"Jamie, c'mon" Erika protested; leaning across the table towards her brother "You couldn't have seen it coming the way it did. And you can't protect me all the time."

"I can sure try."

"Isn't that what Danny's for? To hover all the time so that you and I can still be little kids?"

"I guess" Jamie conceded; smiling at his sister and kicking her lightly under the table "Though really we _should_ try to grow up sometime."

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

Laughing together, the two siblings spent the rest of their dinner date in quiet conversation; each of them steering clear of any topic remotely resembling troublesome new partners, or mistakes made in the past. But for the fact that they were both adults, they could have just as easily been huddled together underneath the makeshift blanket fort in their parents' living room; flashlight held between them as they tried to see how late they could stay up before someone came in to herd them off to bed.

If only everything could've stayed that simple forever.

…

_(one year prior)_

"Jimmy! Jimmy, how are ya; man?" A voice rang out across the crowded coffee lounge; startling Jamie and his sister out of their hushed conversation as they both turned to look towards the source of the sound. A muffled groan was all the indication Erika had that her brother was not thrilled to see whoever it was that was coming their way…and she only just registered that whoever this was had called her brother by a different name; before the stranger was beside them at their table, pulling Jamie into a bear hug, before turning to appraise her.

"Christ, Riordan; you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend" The man said; giving Erika a look that made her insides squirm as he held out his hand towards her "Noble Sanfino."

Risking a sideways glance at Jamie, Erika saw him nod curtly; and she reluctantly gave the newcomer her hand, blinking in surprise as he brought it to his lips to place a kiss against her knuckles.

"It's a shame, really" Noble said then, smirking down at her before leveling a mock glare Jamie's way "How did you end up letting this schmuck get a hold of your heart?"

Before Erika could make any sort of attempt at a reply, though; Jamie stepped in, placing a hand on Noble's shoulder as he said "She's not my girlfriend, actually. She's my sister; Sarah."

"Ah, so she's still on the market" Noble asserted; winking at Jamie before turning his attention back to his newest acquaintance "Or are you…taken?"

Wetting her lips with her tongue, Erika swallowed slowly; doing her best to not let her apprehension show as she looked up at the man before her and said:

"That depends on who's asking."

"And if I'm the one asking…"

"Listen, Noble, we've gotta get going" Jamie cut in; placing his hand around Erika's wrist and tugging her gently to her feet "But it was nice seeing ya."

"Ah c'mon, Riordan; can't ya stay a bit longer?"

"Afraid not. Let's go, Sarah."

"Wait!" Noble called after them, forcing them to pause despite how Jamie had them nearly halfway out the door "At least let me invite you to a little party my family's having tonight. To thank you. For saving my ass."

Pausing for a moment, Jamie shared a look with his sister; sighing softly before meeting his supposed friend's eager gaze.

"Fine. When and where?"

And that was that. Erika…and Jamie…were in for the ride of their lives.

….

_(later that same night)_

"What the hell were you _thinking_; Jamie? Dragging her into this…"

"Listen Danny, it's not exactly like I planned it to go this way" Jamie protested; catching the flabbergasted look on his older brother's face as he tried to explain "He caught us off guard. She doesn't have to go, obviously."

"Yes I do, Jamie" Erika cut in; stepping around her oldest brother and ignoring his look of frustration as she went on "Your friend expects me to be there. And if I'm not, he'll ask questions. Questions that may blow your cover."

Stepping over to glance once at her reflection in the small mirror above the kitchen sink; the youngest Reagan adjusted the strap of her dress, before turning to face Danny as she finished.

"I'm going, Danny."

"Sis…what makes you think you can do this? You're a _civilian_; not a cop."

"A civilian who grew up with three older brothers that did everything in their power to teach her how to defend herself" Erika argued; placing a hand against Danny's chest as she went on "Danny, it's just one stupid party. I've got this. And Jamie will be there the whole time."

"Damn straight he will" A deep voice rumbled from the doorway between the family room and the kitchen; causing all three of the room's occupants to jump as they turned to face the sound.

"Dad" Danny said; placing a hand on Erika's shoulder to move her aside so that he could address their father "You're actually _okay_ with this?"

"Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice" Frank replied, noting the worry in his eldest son's face; and recognizing that it mirrored his own "She's right. She doesn't go, and we risk blowing Jamie's cover. Which could be more dangerous than just letting her go this once."

Fighting the urge to be childish and stick her tongue out at Danny, Erika sidled up to her father; grabbing his hand and squeezing once as she looked up at his tall frame.

"Dad, I'll be fine" She assured him; allowing her father to drag her into a tight hug before pulling away just as he was addressing Jamie.

"Stay with her, son. And if it gets dicey, you get out of there. No playing the hero; understood?"

"Of course, Dad."

Taking his sister's hand, Jamie began leading her out towards the front door of the family home; never in a million years suspecting that the two of them were about to be thrown head first into a world they weren't entirely prepared for.

A world that would change them more than they ever could have expected.

…

**Well hullo there! I honestly wasn't expecting to have another chapter out here this quickly. But here we are. Yet again the idea just sort of grabbed a hold of me and wouldn't let go. We're talking eating dinner at my grandma's house, and STILL thinking of this story kind of stubborn, lol. But anyways, I hope you enjoyed the little glimpse I gave you into a brief background for Erika. And hopefully I haven't stepped on any toes, having her story go the way I have so far.**

**As always please do let me know what you think of this story! A huge thank you to my first reviewer (equestrian18). And thank you to everyone who was patient with me while I sorted out why the site was goofing up my story summary. Hopefully all is fixed now!**

**Until next time…**

**MJR**


	3. Chapter 3

_(Late Fall, 2011)_

Bass blared to life in an instant, rendering all hope of conversation in the crowded night club futile as bodies began swaying to the beat; the loud noise blaring through everyone's bloodstream like some sort of life force, holding them to the world. The sound was deafening, in reality. But to someone who was a little buzzed from drinking…from finally letting go…it was amazing. Wonderful. Satisfying.

"I can't believe you've never done this before" Noble called out over the drone of the music; his arms tightening just a little bit more around Erika's waist as she moved in time with the bass, her body brushing against his every so often and causing his head to spin "You're a freakin' natural."

"Whaa?"

Laughing as he looked down into Erika's wide, if not a bit glazed, blue eyes; Noble shook his head slowly, pulling her closer to him and resuming the steady rhythm the two had been dancing to before she had paused to gaze up at him. He knew her brother Jimmy was hanging around somewhere…likely with his sister, Bianca…but he couldn't bring himself to care; really. Despite knowing that he would play hell explaining how he had allowed his new friend's sister to end up drunk; he just…didn't care. Not that he honestly wanted to take advantage of the situation; no matter how surprising that fact alone was to him. No, there was just something about the fact that Sarah Riordan had finally dropped her cold façade with him…that she was finally letting him in, for once…that had him oblivious to the consequences that could occur as a result of her sudden change in opinion regarding his person.

It had been two weeks since he had met his friend's sister. Two weeks of him trying, relentlessly, to get under her skin. To get her to open up to him. To acknowledge him with anything more than a short nod and a half-smile. Admittedly, she had been the hardest case for him yet; stunning him with her resilience against his advances, when he had been so used to women falling over him with just a single smile. But her stubborn resolve only served to heighten his determination…and so he had kept on going, driving forward until the dam she had built against him crumbled around her. And here they were. Buzzed and dancing together; and neither one of them was spending too much time paying attention to how they had quickly gone from simple goofing off, to serious business.

Before she could even fully comprehend what she was doing; Erika wound her arms around Noble's neck as they continued dancing, throwing her head back slightly as Phil Sanfino's son ducked down to place a kiss against her neck. Gasping as electricity sparked through her, she leaned still further into the very man she had been trying like hell to resist; some silent part of her clamoring for her to back down, only to be drowned out by the bass and the buzzing in her ears. She was drunk. Some small part of her knew that. She knew that this was the very thing her brothers…hell, even her father…had tried to drill into her as the number one situation to _avoid_ when at a party. But that didn't stop her from using the music as an excuse to get even closer to her dance partner; moving her hips in time to the beats of the newest song that had just started to play as she spoke softly in Noble's ear.

"This is…_fun._"

"Yeah?"

"_God, yes_."

"Well, glad to see you're having a good time" Noble replied, smiling down at her for a moment before going on "You were a tough nut to crack Sarah."

"Mmmm…" She hummed, leaning into his chest before she went on "And what makes you think you've…cracked me?"

Laughing at how relaxed she had become with just a few glasses of wine; Noble was about to reply, only to be halted in his tracks as 'Jimmy' showed up, with Bianca in tow.

"Sarah, c'mon. Time to go" He said, tugging his sister out of Noble's embrace and managing a tight smile for Bianca's sake "Just got a text that we need to take care of something."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Erika gave her brother a skeptical look; opening her mouth to say something, only to turn around and shut it again as Jamie continued tugging at her arm. Even in her slightly dazed state, she could tell something was up. So she cooperated, albeit reluctantly; managing a wave goodbye for Noble before following her brother outside, and trailing along behind him to their car. It wasn't long before he was turning back around to face her; and the strange glint in his eyes had her doubling back as he spoke, his voice tight.

"What in _hell_ are you thinking, Sis?"

"Jamie…" Erika hissed; risking a glance around her and squinting against the bright glare of the streetlights surrounding them as she tried to determine whether or not they were being watched "Don't…"

"No, you don't get to do that this time" Jamie ground out; latching onto Erika's wrist and tugging her over to him "Do you have any _idea_ what you're looking at getting yourself into?"

Shaking her head slightly in an effort to rid it of the persistent buzzing ringing between her ears; Erika ran a hand through her hair, doing her best to focus on the here and now as she retorted "Would you relax? I can take care of myself."

"From where I'm standing, it doesn't look like it."

Before she could even manage a reply, Jamie had opened the driver's side door; plopping down in the seat and putting the key in the ignition so that Erika had no choice but to open her own door and hop inside. Biting her lower lip, she shut the door and buckled in in silence; eyeing her brother out of the corner of her eye as the two of them drove off in silence. It amazed her how quickly things had gone from lazy and blissful, to tense and uncertain in seconds…especially with Jamie, when before, the two of them had always had an easy time getting along. But since this continued involvement with the Sanfino crime family; even their relationship had become strained.

Little did she know that this was only the beginning.

…

_(present day)_

"Hey Reagan, wake up. We've got an incoming trauma on the way."

Shaking herself from her memories, Erika turned abruptly; her eyes meeting those of her attending as she said "Do we know anything?"

"NYPD officer on the beat took a few blows to the head from an aggravated arrest" Dr. Nichols replied; holding out a gown to his newest intern before going on "I think he's your brother's partner, actually. Vinny, something…"

"Vinny Cruz" Erika supplied, shaking her head as the sound of sirens wailing reached their ears. The fact that Dr. Nichols hadn't mentioned multiple injuries…hadn't mentioned her brother as being hurt as well…served to calm her slightly; but that didn't stop her thoughts from travelling briefly to Joe anyway, before the ambulance finally came into view, forcing her to shift back to the present as the back doors opened and Jamie stepped out.

"Long time, no see; Sis" He said; offering his sister a faint smile before stepping back so that the EMT could jump out and work on getting the stretcher out behind him. Before Erika could say anything in response though, a familiar voice rang out; protesting the jostling of the stretcher as her brother's partner came into view.

"Listen, I'm fine. I just took a…" Vinny began, his voice trailing off as he caught sight of Erika; and rapidly changed course "Never mind. I think I do need to be checked out."

Rolling her eyes at the goofy smile Cruz leveled her way; Erika stepped aside so that the orderly who had just arrived at her side could get past with the wheelchair, watching silently as Vinny was guided from stretcher to chair. On looking at him, she could see that he had a fairly ugly gash just above his temple…and she did her best to remain out of the way as he was wheeled inside; turning to look up at her attending as he said:

"You got this, Reagan? I just got a page about our returning OD coding again."

"Sure Dr. Nichols" Erika replied; nodding at her boss before waving for her brother to come along with her as she followed the EMT. Exchanging a look with each other, the two siblings followed Vinny into the closest exam room; Jamie taking a step to the side to be out of the way while Erika donned gloves.

"Okay, Mr. Cruz…"

"Please, sweetheart; it's Vinny."

"Okay, _Vinny_…can you tell me what happened?" Erika amended; using a hand to tilt the officer's head back to get a better look at the damage. Doing her best to ignore the blinding smile he leveled her way, even though he was in mid-wince as she ran an alcohol swab over the gash; Erika listened intently as Vinny replied.

"I'm only tellin ya if you let me take you to dinner."

"Nice try" Erika said, laughing in spite of herself as she turned away to grab the stitching kit "I might have to leave a nasty scar if you don't cooperate."

"I'll take it" Vinny argued; grabbing Erika's wrist and leveling his best attempt at pouting her way "Dinner, Reagan. Or you don't get to stitch me up."

"You're really serious…"

"As serious as the oath you took to heal everyone in this city, yeah."

Sighing, Erika contemplated the offer; a hint of amusement bubbling up at how she had allowed her brother's partner to back her into a corner. He probably read how dedicated she would be to her oath within seconds; helped by the family she came from…and reluctantly, she nodded her assent, ignoring Jamie's huff of exasperation as she looked Vinny in the eye.

"Fine. Dinner. But I get to pick the place."

"Anything you want, sweetheart" Vinny replied; smirking at his victory "We aim to please."

"Oh, and one more thing…" Erika began, trailing off and leveling a significant look at her patient as she poised the needle just to the side of his temple "Don't call me sweetheart."

…..

**Well, what did you think? Good? Bad? Ugly? (lol). Can't wait to hear your thoughts! Thank you all for reading!**


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